Hon. Pickering: The days of Petty Contracts for this & that are over!
The seasoned and popular politician, now in his fourth consecutive team in office, said that "we just don’t have the money that we used to have to spend and we have to adapt to that harsh reality".
Minister Pickering further reiterated that Government does not have money to "spend spend spend" and while they can blame anyone "it will not help any of us at this point".
He said some people think the Government have a lot of money to spend but those paying attention would realise there is no money to be spending and Government has to be frugal with how it uses the resources to ensure it builds the country for the betterment of all.
Hon. Pickering also told the HOA that he was very disappointed in the way the Standing Finance Committee deliberations were conducted and said his lack of attendance spoke to his displeasure. However, he did not go into further details as to what he was not pleased about.
Meanwhile, freshman member Hon. Archibald Christian told the HOA in his budget contributions, that he was one of the reasons why the deliberations went so long as he wanted to ensure that he understood the process. He said he “asked for forgiveness”.
Dr. Pickering also told members of the House that any development in the Virgin Islands must be for Virgin Islanders first and he spoke of plans as the Minister for Natural Resources and Labour to further develop the Brandywine Bay Beach. The Minister said he also gets concerned when he hears people say that they are “developing the country for the tourist”, but said the country must be developed for those who live here first.
Protection Of Indigenous People
The 7th district representative was also passionate and firm in his views that indigenous Virgin Islanders must be protected. He said he was not “worried about getting licks for saying this” but there must be protection of indigenous people of the Territory. He said he learn a lot from recent Labour meetings and other public meetings he attended. He said the country is filled with ideas.
Hon. Pickering said we have reached a fork in the road in the VI. He said that part of the issue is that there are many people in the country who believe that they can do what they want, when they want, however, he said it is important that we as a people “stand up for the greater good…we need to work for the greater good.”
In recent years, there have been some tensions rising between local Virgin Islanders and expatriates from the other Caribbean Islands, North America and Europe who are here on work permits. There is the perception that locals are being discriminated against in both the public and private sectors, as it relates to employment, top jobs, promotions and other opportunities. There is also the perception that local Virgin Islanders are not getting fair treatment from the judicial system.
However, no one has brought forward statistics to prove or disprove this wide spread perception amongst indigenous Virgin Islanders. Currently, indigenous Virgin Islanders are a minority, both in the population and in the workforce.
In many constitutions around the world, there are certain provisions inserted to protect the minority indigenous population. The Virgin Islands does not have such a provision in its latest 2007 Constitution.
.png)
Follow Us On
19 Responses to “Hon. Pickering: The days of Petty Contracts for this & that are over!”